Elina Tarkazikis

Elina Tarkazikis is a reporter for National Mortgage News. She is a graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey, where she was the founding editor in chief of the school's chapter of HerCampus.com and a staff writer for its student-run publication, The Ramapo News. She has previously worked for The County Seat in Hackensack and Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, iHeartMedia's nationally syndicated radio program. Elina is also a licensed real estate agent in New Jersey, adores pets and speaks three languages.

The 55+ housing market showed continued strength in the first quarter on healthier economic conditions, but high lumber prices are causing hurdles for homebuilders trying to keep up with consumer demand.

Housing markets with the strictest land-use regulations saw home price appreciation shoot up by more than double the rate of those with lighter regulations, despite similar job growth, according to Zillow.